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Last Updated: 16th September 2021
Today, you will learn how to make fantastic coffee without a coffee maker.
We aren’t just talking about electronic coffee makers with glass pots, though. Drip filters, French presses, percolators, Moka pots – all these sophisticated tools count as coffee makers.
What if you don’t have any of these?
Or what if the power is out? Perhaps you’re at a campsite, and you forgot to bring your drip filter. Or maybe you’re at an office or vacation rental with no brewing tools.
You’re still in luck, because there are many ways to make a great-tasting cup of coffee. You can even do it without a filter. As long as you have coffee and water, you can brew using little more than everyday household items.
Consider this a warning: if you’re looking for the perfect, filtered cup of coffee, you might want to leave the room now. These methods are as classic and low-tech as they get, while others are bizarre but satisfying.
The purpose of having a coffee filter or screen is, in large part, to keep the coffee grounds out of your drink. Coffee grounds are edible, so accidentally ingesting some grounds is a first world problem. It’s a question of whether or not you can handle the sludgy texture of the coffee grounds.
With most of the below methods, you can keep out most of the coffee grounds. In cowboy coffee, for example, the grounds naturally settle to the bottom of the pot. Most of them will stay there when you pour your coffee.
Without a filter or screen, you’ll need to be careful. These methods are for if you just want a cup of coffee and you’ll do anything to get that caffeine.
Not everyone may have a high tech coffee brewer laying around the house. Chances are, some people lack the lower-tech alternatives like drip filters and French-presses, too.
These simple, no-fuss methods require none of these sophisticated materials. This especially comes in handy if you lose power, or are in a limited location like a campground.
That said, you’ll still need these tools for making great coffee without a coffee maker:
Here are 10 of our favourite brewing methods that don’t require a coffee maker. Full disclosure: some of these do call for a filtration technique while others do not. It depends on what you have around the house and what trouble you’re willing to go through.
Rule of thumb: for every 230 ml of water, you’ll want to aim for approximately 14 grams of ground coffee. The ideal coffee-to-water ratio will vary, depending on the method and your taste. Refer to our coffee calculator for more information and feel free to experiment!
This is perfect for camping or if your power is out, but you still have the means to heat water.
Making cowboy coffee is as simple as this:
With this method, you’re improvising and using a cloth as a makeshift coffee filter.
Here’s how you do it:
If you don’t have a French press laying around, there’s a way to mimic the technique using everyday household items!
Here’s what you do:
With this method, you need to have coffee filters at home. You can use a coffee filter to mimic a coffee bag, which brews in a similar way to tea.
Here’s how you do it:
This is a similar method to cowboy coffee; only it’s a little more precise. You are aiming for a stronger, frothier cup of coffee.
Here’s how to do it:
Bet you didn’t know you could make fresh, filtered coffee with a sock, did you? The interwoven fabric in a standard sock makes it perfect for use as a coffee filter.
Here’s how to do it:
This may be the simplest method of brewing coffee. If you can use a microwave, your fresh cup of joe is just minutes away.
It’s as easy as this:
Now for the brewing method that requires the most patience. The payout is, you get a jar filled with a coffee concentrate that you can keep in the fridge for 7-10 days.
Here’s how to do it:
One way to make filtered coffee if you don’t have any coffee filters is to use a strainer.
Keep in mind that for best results, you should use a fine or double-layered mesh strainer. Make sure the one you have doesn’t have big enough holes for the grounds to go through.
Here’s how to do it:
This may seem like a last resort – but think about it. Instant coffee is convenient and keeps in your pantry for a long time. It may not be the best-tasting coffee, but it works if you have a coffee emergency.
Let’s say your coffee maker is broke. Or you ran out of regular coffee. You can get your instant coffee out of the pantry and get your fix almost immediately.
It’s as easy as this:
Let’s say you have no filters in the house, and no way to filter your coffee otherwise. Maybe you don’t want to go through the trouble of setting up a makeshift coffee filter.
Some of the above methods, including the makeshift French press and cowboy coffee, don’t involve filters.
The key to serving coffee brewed using these methods is to pour carefully. The grounds naturally sink to the bottom of the pot, so most of them should stay out of your mug.
You can use a spoon to help keep the grounds back while pouring. If you don’t mind a little sludge, you could just pour the coffee, grounds and all.
If you’re camping, chances are you don’t have a Keurig machine or espresso pump ready to go. Even if you have a camper with electricity, it might be easier to bring pots and pans instead of using different contraptions for making coffee.
With this in mind, cowboy coffee is the best way to make coffee at a campsite. All you have to do is mix coffee with hot water in a saucepan. If you want, you can do this on your campfire.
Keep in mind that with campfires, the temperature is much harder to control. You’ll want to make sure your water isn’t boiling too hard, or your coffee’s flavour will be ruined.
You can also track down campfire coffee pots for this purpose.
Our Philosophy is simple: “Love Coffee at Home.”
We want everyone to be able to enjoy really tasty coffee in the comfort of their own home. It’s easy, and shouldn’t be exclusive to a coffee shop.
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